Students Visited ITOCHU Corporation for Site Visit

The Tokyo Head Office hosts an annual field trip for third graders from Aoyama Elementary School. The purpose of this class is to deepen the students’ understanding of the city they live in by viewing it from above. The students are given a tour from the 22nd floor reception hall, a high-rise floor of the Tokyo Head Office, and the 21st floor conference room, looking to the east, west, south, and north, with Aoyama Elementary School in the center.
In FY2023, we explained about ITOCHU’s business activities and also introduced the staff who support us, such as receptionists, security guards, cleaners, and special cafeteria of Palace Hotel, and showed how they actually work.

Vocational Lectures

In November 2023, we held a vocational lecture at Aoyama Elementary School as part of career education for 6th graders. Based on the theme of “What is it like to work?”, we explained about ITOCHU’s business activities and the concept of meaningful work at ITOCHU.

Collection of Unneeded Notebooks for Donation

In October 2023, an “unneeded notebook collection box” was placed at the employee entrance of the Tokyo Head Office to collect unneeded notebooks for a recycling project by third-grade students at Aoyama Elementary School.
The children, who had been unable to play outside due to the excessive heat this year, investigated the causes of the rise in temperature and learned about global warming, realizing that the way they live is deeply related to global warming. They then decided to engage in a project to collect unneeded notebooks and recycle them into new notebooks as a practical example of making a difference with the involvement of those around them. After about a month of setting up the collection boxes, ITOCHU collected 310 notebooks and approximately 500 loose-leaf notebooks.

Held a Special Class on Mangrove and Ocean Plastic Recycling

In FYE 2022, ITOCHU Cooperation started a mangrove planting initiative with Uken Village on Amami Oshima Island, a World Natural Heritage site.
In May 2022, we held a special class on “mangrove and ocean plastic recycling” for all students of Aoyama Elementary School.
We donated plastic pots made from ocean plastic waste that washed ashore in Tsushima City, Nagasaki Prefecture, and explained its problem-solving recycling economy business for students. After the special class, about 300 seedlings were planted, one for each student in all grades.
Through environmental conservation education, we believe that this project will contribute to the affluent and sound development of young people in the local community who will lead the next generation.

Mangrove Ex-Situ Conservation Project

In FYE 2023, as one of an activity with Uken Village on Amami Oshima Island to conserve mangroves outside their native habitat, approximately 250 students of Aoyama Elementary School grew seedlings from seeds and donated them to the National Museum of Nature and Science at Tsukuba Botanical Garden.
The mangrove seedlings were grown in plastic pots derived from marine plastic waste handled by ITOCHU.

Three-site Workshop at ITOCHU SDGs STUDIO

In September 2022, an online workshop was held at the ITOCHU SDGs STUDIO for elementary school students from Tokyo, Shiga Prefecture, and the United Kingdom to present and exchange their SDG-related initiatives. Elementary school students from Aoyama Elementary School in Tokyo, Toyosato Elementary School in Shiga Prefecture, and Hazelwood School in UK participated in the workshop and gave presentations on which of the 17 SDGs they are working on and the activities they are undertaking based on the theme of "Our Passion for the SDGs.” The workshop was broadcast on the radio station J-WAVE (81.3FM) and is now available on YouTube.